NEW for Autumn 2011, Beginners soap making courses

Yes!  finally I have got the first two course dates sewn up and organised. 

 Saturday October 8th and Wednesday October 12th

10am to 4pm

 I will provide all equipment required and the ingredients for the course, the safety equipment, full course notes and recipes.  You will get to make your soap in a mold that you can take away with you, enough soap for 10 - 12 bars!  The course cost also includes all refreshments and a tasty, homemade, light vegetarian lunch,

You will also be able to buy "Carry On" kits of ingredients to take home with you at the course venue.

I have found an absolutely fabulous venue, peaceful, beautiful, light and airy with full disabled access and plenty of parking.

So what are you waiting for? come and learn how to make quality, beautiful, natural soaps using the traditional cold process method.



A bit of the spiel from the website to whet your appetite.....

"My goal is to teach the skills you need to successfully make beautiful handmade soap using natural ingredients such as olive oil, shea and cocoa butter and lovely essential oils.

We will provide you with everything you will need, all the ingredients, equipment and safety gear.  You will learn in small groups of no more than 8 people in a clean, relaxing place with plenty of time to ask all the questions you want.  Your instruction comes from an experienced certified soap maker so you can feel totally happy that you will be receiving the best tuition possible as well as having great fun learning a new skill and making new friends.

Soap making does not require a huge amount of complicated equipment or ingredients and is a really absorbing hobby, imagine how great it would be to be able to easily make all your Christmas and birthday gifts, soaps for your whole family, for special occasions or just for yourself.  Especially as they will be totally natural, not containing any of the harsh, unfriendly chemicals of commercial soaps."

 

I can't tell you how excited I am about this, I have been wanting to set up courses for so long and finally I have had the time to do it.  If you know anyone who would like to come along do let them know as well.  I have an online booking form:

COURSE BOOKING FORM

So lets go to it!  Another chapter in the journey that is Naturally Made Soaps.

 

Kate Moss and soaps

Hi everyone, I hope you are all well and happy.  I am now in my 4th week since quitting my day job and its great!!  I am loving making soap and working on the business every day, I find my thoughts flow better not having to put it all down and pick it up again after rushing off to do another totally different job.  I realise I am a bit isolated in my work though which is why I am so excited about my new project.

You may know, my partner Rik and I have a lovely house in Portugal which we have been very slowly doing up, in fact so slowly its now 9 years this month since we bought it!  But, hey, the best things come to those who wait, so I am told.  Well I have a very good friend who is also a superb soap maker, in fact she was one of my inspirations for starting myself, and we have decided to go for it and launch a new range of soaps specifically for the Portuguese market.  So anyway, exciting times ahead, lots of work and, best of all, more trips over to Portugal!  I am off on 8th of September for 2 weeks and again in November, don't worry if you want to order from the website, My wonderful family are coming to the rescue again, packing and posting orders off for me.



IN THE NEWS
I really sat up and took notice at this latest news announcement........

Kate Moss Wants Own Soap Range
Well I thought, shall I contact her NOW to suggest that I make them for her?  No, apparently Kate Moss is set to release her own range of soaps after experimenting on making some home-made bars.  The supermodel has been sorting out fresh ingredients from her garden in the Cotswolds, central UK, grinding them together and then trying them out in the shower and is now keen to create her own line of products.

From The Sun newspaper

A source told The Sun newspaper: "Kate loves her new hobby, she's gone soap mad.  She's been trying to master the art after one of her mates sent her a batch of home made bars, which she loved.

"She's adamant all the ingredients should be fresh and natural.  She's sent quite a few to her girlfriends to try out.  Depending on the feedback, she's thinking of releasing a range."

As well as being a soap fan, Kate has previously revealed she would never leave the house without a perfume and has her own line of fragrances as well as a range of clothes and handbags.

Well....................  could this be an opportunity for us soap makers?  making soaps for celebrities to endorse?


Which comes first - Honey or Heather?
I was out on Woodbury Common yesterday walking the dogs and the smell up there is simply intoxicating.  It was a warm sunny afternoon and it must have been the warm air that brought out the wonderful honey aroma of the heather which is blooming everywhere.  There must be at least 4 different varieties just in the one place I walked.

Perdy in the flowers

It got me thinking, has heather evolved to smell like honey to attract bees?  Why does honey not made from bees visiting heather smell like heather?  Anyway, whatever the answers it is absolutely lovely, I wish that we could create a fragrance for soap that smelt exactly like it.

 

Woodbury heathers in full bloom

Lastly, I just wanted to let you know about a fab new website that I have discovered.  It's called Pinterest and is a really fun way of collecting images from your computer sources to create an inspiration board or a virtual pinboard.

Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.
Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.  I am currently busy putting together some inspiration for our new Portuguese range as well as a new kitchen for our house in Portugal, I have only just started so I have not got a huge amount on my pin boards but it has been really good fun.  To get started you need to request an invite and they will contact you with joining details.  I think its well worth it - well if you have time to spare!!  It is very easy to use as well.

I have added a "follow me" button on the right of this page so you can see the kind of images I have been collecting myself. 

Well, thats it, I have been busy cutting my new Xmas soap testers and I am very, very happy with the results, I shall post photos soon.

Don't forget, my first soap making course starts on 8th October, email me at soapchick@naturallymadesoaps.co.uk if you are interested in getting information.  More to follow very soon.

Take care and please leave a comment X